Marketing, advertising & media intelligence

It’s a trend that’s showing no sign of slowing—Netflix cheating, or more specifically, watching a show ahead of the person or people you’re supposed to be watching with. To help Netflix cheaters make things right, Spark and Colenso BBDO have created a website giving the self-indulgent and guilty characters a space to confess and apologise for their behaviour.

At the close of 2016, Netflix had broken the threshold of one million New Zealand users and Lightbox had doubled its numbers since 2015. However, that's not to say New Zealanders are choosing sides, with Roy Morgan Research showing that they're happy to dip into different services.

Social scoreboard

Zavy and StopPress have worked together to create a scoreboard that compares how the top 25 traditional media advertising spenders in New Zealand have performed on social media over the past 30 days, updated in real time.

It has been over a decade since Friends came to an end, but its popularity remains. New Zealanders continue to get their daily dose as it holds the 6pm week day spot on TV2, while in France people are now tuning in on Netflix thanks to a clever pre-roll ad campaign.

Last year, the Global Mode legal battle provided a feisty introduction to the competitive banter that would unfold as the SVOD market started to mature in New Zealand. And although, we are only a few weeks into January, there are already a few jabs being thrown in this space. Following on from news that Netflix was going to clamp down on backdoor users accessing its US version, Neon has been quick to play its first hand with a responsive media release titled “Never fear NEON is Here”.

In 2015, the maturation of New Zealand’s SVOD market was tracked in the column inches of media journalists across the industry. And this trend has already continued this year with Netflix making headlines by extending its service to 130 countries across the world and then saying that it was looking into clamping down on VPN users to ensure they can’t log into global content. We chat to Lightbox chief executive Kym Niblock about what's likely to happen in the SVOD market in 2016.

Those who blurt out spoilers without considering the consequences of their actions have become widely reviled species that are simply met with groans and sighs of disgust from those in their company. And the new Netflix spot educates viewers on the etiquette that viewers must exercise when in the company of fans of particular shows.

Visions of the future are fertile territory for psychics, science fiction writers and highly paid consultants. And as Spark attempts to move from dumb pipes to digital services, it’s joined in the fun and created Spark Life 2025 to show what life might be like ten years from now. And NZME has helped bring its vision to life online. PLUS: Branded content advice from a master of the art, Time Inc's Melanie Deziel.

We have cars that can drive themselves, fridges that know when we're out of milk and sensors that can tell if your elderly relatives have taken their pills. Now, for those who also want their binge watching smartened, Netflix has given the world a button that can turn on your TV, dim your lights, silence your phone and even order food.

The venn diagram that justified the creation of House of Cards showed that Netflix had big data on its side. And since then it's had a pretty good run as far as creating original content goes. Its latest series, Narcos, follows the story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and it has also been a major hit. And, in keeping with a native ad strategy that has seen it work with The New York Times to promote Orange is the New Black, The Atlantic to promote House of Cards and Wired to promote a new era of TV, it's called on The Wall St Journal's commercial content division Custom Studios to create an impressive indepth series of the economics of the cocaine trade.

The second episode of Kiwibank’s KB Series featuring Jamie Curry is out. In this episode, Curry has moved into her new flat in Auckland and is attempting to navigate herself through the beginnings of adult life, which she does with much uncertainty and awkwardness.

Not too long ago the high-pitched robotic noises of a modem connecting served as our only gateway to an online world that was typified by webpages that slowly lagged into existence. Over time, the lag has reduced and ongoing roll out ultra-fast broadband (UFB) holds the promise of snuffing it out entirely. StopPress chats to a few industry players about why the roll out of ultra-fast broadband is important for Kiwi consumers.

While the nation's other SVOD players are taking legal steps in regard to Global Mode, market newcomer Netflix has thus far been quiet in terms of its position on the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to access international content. The company has not joined MediaWorks, TVNZ, Sky and Spark in the case, which is set clarify the legality of Global Mode in the local market. And this could largely come down to the fact that the company has little incentive to support the action.
PLUS: a look at the leaked emails from Sony executives on Netflix's approach to geo-filtering.

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Hey well done TBWA - great 2 Degrees have gone back to their roots with the agency that launched the brand so successfully, well done Catherine, Shane and team. A nice way to end the year and good that 2 ...

Genius From Elsewhere

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Fast Company talks to Pentagram designer Michael Bierut about work collaboration platform Slack’s recent rebrand, including killing off the company’s longstanding hashtag logo.

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Barbara Proctor, the first African-American woman to own an advertising agency, has died at the age of 86. The Boston Globe reports that she moved into advertising when she understood its sway over the American culture, and fearing her race and gender would impede her advancement, she decided to start her own business.

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With Super Bowl 53 coming up in early February, Hotels.com is giving fans of the winning team a chance of a free room. AdWeek reports that this is in the hope of continuing the Super Bowl statistic that the “birth rate in winning cities goes up nine months after the game.”

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With Gillette’s ‘The Best Men Can Be’ campaign causing a stir, Josh Barro has done a piece for New York Magazine on why he believes Nike’s controversial ad with Colin Kaepernick worked while Gillette’s doesn’t. Barro says that Nike’s message to customers to “uplifting rather than accusatory.”

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Swedish online payment brand Klarna has revealed Snoop Dogg as its new brand ambassador. The rather bizarre ad features the rapper surrounded by Afghan Hounds, rechristened as ‘Smooth Dogg’, and taking part in a coronation with attendees wearing pink silk robes.

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Why we like it: Getting to the gym in January after a relaxing summer is probably tougher than any other time of the year. But this ad from Les Mills, introducing its ‘Live Forward’ concept, might be the antidote. Featuring shots of peppy Les Mills instructors and members in a variety of classes and activities, instead of turning to chocolate (see below) you could see it as the motivation and encouragement you’ve been waiting for.

Who’s it for: Whittaker’s by Brewery Studio

Why we like it: For lovers of chocolate and pottery, this is an edible match made in heaven. Waiheke-based ceramicist Thea Ceramics ‘throws’ chocolate on the pottery wheel to create a vase able to hold flowers. While the longevity and function of such a vase can be called into question, it is undeniably a cute and enjoyable spot.

Who’s it for: NZTA by Clemenger BBDO

Why we like it: It is seen as a rite of passage for young Kiwi drivers to have a car that looks as if it might not pass its WOF, but this ad is working to encourage parents to purchase safer cars for their offspring to reduce fatalities. The undercover experts chat to the families with a good mix of humour and seriousness about the consequences of what happens in a car crash if your vehicle doesn't have the correct safety rating or airbags. We hope to see the safety message get through.